JUDO saves man from a bear attack!

The state of the game console business

Slashdot links to this hilarious comparison of game consoles.

The night that the lights went out in Ohio

Cato and RPPI are all over the electricity fiasco. If I understand them correctly, RPPI seems concerned that regulation has prevented adequate investment in transmission lines, while Cato's scholars are more bothered by legal barriers to "vertical integration" (joint ownership of power generation and transmission facilities) in the electricity industry.

Boaz on libertarianism

David Boaz recently gave a nice speech introducing people to libertarianism. You can listen to a recording here. Tell your non-libertarian friends.

Looks like I may be worm food.

Shoutin' Across the Pacific links to this Sports Illustrated article about Alcor and Ted Williams. It's pretty apalling. Apparently Alcor cut off Williams' head, despite the fact he was supposed to get a full body suspension. Then several cracks developed in the head "due to fluctuating storage temperatures." And the evidence that Ted Williams wanted to be frozen at all seems a bit shaky. Apparently Alcor's chief operating officer blew the whistle and then resigned.

UPDATE: Alcor has responded to the Sports Illustrated article in this press release. As Alcor tells it, COO Larry Johnson is a disgruntled ex-employee looking to smear his former employer. "No Alcor Cryopatient has been treated negligently in the style that Johnson suggested to Sports Illustrated." The press release also announces Alcor's intention to have Johnson prosecuted for violating a privacy agreement. Unfortunately (conveniently?), Alcor's privacy policy prevents them from responding in detail to Johnson's allegations. They do say that fractures are an expected side effect of vitrification, and the benefit of vitrification is reduced overall cell damage.

Silence = death

Alan Kors confronts the intelligentsia for their silence on Communist atrocities in this passionate, moving speech. (Link provided by Hit and Run.)

"It's like having our own private police department."

SFGate.com has an article about how private security agencies are increasingly assuming responsibilities traditionally handled by public police departments. The author of the article is obviously alarmed, and wants to see more government regulation, but as far as I can tell there's no evidence private security officers abuse their power more than police officers. Indeed, it would seem to me that private security companies face better incentives. Like police departments, they're legally liable for officer misbehavior. The article frets that large private companies are difficult to beat in court, but is it easier to win a case against the police? Which institution has a greater incentive to avoid lawsuits: private companies risking their own money, or police departments risking taxpayer dollars? Moreover, private security companies are responsible to their customers. (The article implies that private security officers may have provoked an unnecessary shootout last December in front of an Oakland liquor store. As a result of the incident, the agency was fired. Try doing that with the police.) The author pushes government oversight, but seems blissfully unaware of the public choice problems attending that approach. Has "public oversight" worked very well for the SFPD (link 1, link2)?

Here are some figures from the article that might interest Jake:

Last year, California licensed 15,450 new security officers, for a total of 185,000. Of that number, an estimated 14,000 are licensed to carry guns. During the same period, 60 new security companies opened for business in the state. In fact, the Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for private security services. Nationwide, the $33 billion industry is growing at more than 7 percent a year, according to Freedonia Group, a business research company. That's plenty robust in a wheezing economy. It also outpaces the growth of police by more than three times.

Jesse Ventura offers some advice to Ahhnold

Nerd or Serial Killer?

What Happened to The U.S. Economy by Harry Browne

Our founding fathers lead a freaking revolt against the king when he tried to tax their favorite breakfast beverage. Sadly, we are a bunch of pussies today...

This must be why Germans make good automobiles

Bad news about the German, um, sausage.

Governor Flynt?

If you haven't heard already, Larry Flynt is running for governor of California in this October's recall election. This article says he's a "self-described libertarian," and this one says he would legalize drugs and prostitution, "expand the right of casinos to operate slot machines," and declare amnesty for illegal immigrants. On the other hand, it also says he would close the borders. :-(

Hunting for Bambi is a hoax

The "hunts" were staged for gullible reporters to promote sales of the video.